10/06/2026
VIU Education alum Samantha Beynon continues to create children’s books that connect Indigenous stories and traditions with young readers. After publishing Oolichan Moon while at VIU, she is now receiving national recognition and recently won a literary prize for Celebrating Potlatches, a book inspired by her great-grandfather’s notes. The book recently won the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize at the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes gala.
The Canadian government made participating in the ceremonies a criminal offence under the Indian Act in 1885 until it was lifted in 1951.
“It’s important for our children to be represented,” said Beynon, whose academic work as a University of Victoria PhD student is exploring how to support youth when reading texts about difficult events in Indigenous history. “I want them to feel proud of who they are.”
Read the full Times Colonist story: https://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/great-grandpas-notes-inspired-uvic-students-prizewinning-childrens-book-12824288?
